Childish Gambino Drops Powerful 'This Is America' Video, Twitter Reacts
By Isha Thorpe
May 7, 2018
Donald Glover had a busy weekend. After hosting the latest episode of "Saturday Night Live" on May 5, the actor/producer/rapper released a thought-provoking music video for new his song "This Is America," which he dropped under his rap name Childish Gambino.
The track and powerful visual tackles racism, gun violence and police brutality in the United States. Gambino expresses his views on these hot-buttoned topics so beautifully and boldly with the unfiltered events that take place in the visual. The entire video is set in a warehouse that's basically a madhouse for all kinds of chaos. It was directed by Atlanta director Hiro Murai.
The video starts off with a man playing a guitar. The guy gets shot by the rapper in the head soon after the vid commences, then Gambino ends up shooting a choir in another. That latter scene can be a direct response to domestic terrorist's Dylann Roof church shooting in Charleston, Virginia in 2015.
As the video continues, there's much disorder going on in the background, as Gambino moves and dances care freely -- or carelessly, depending on your interpretation -- throughout the disarray. SZA even makes a small cameo. When the visual dropped, people on social media couldn't stop talking about it. Some need more time to digest it, while others fell in love with it right away. See reactions to the star's "This Is America" visual below.
Donald Glover is a Genius. pic.twitter.com/zIAW8lecU7
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) May 6, 2018
#ThisIsAmerica
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 6, 2018
Childish Gambino
Mesmerizing. Disturbing. Violent. Beautiful. Tragic. Materialistic. Melodic. Chaotic.pic.twitter.com/jET1KfgRvx
Wow Childish Gambino @donaldglover's new video is definitely going to piss some people off but I loved it #ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/SvRgiiqX56
— Cesar (@el_CEEZ) May 6, 2018
Soooo... we put the wrong Donald in office #ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/9rFOK1TUQB
— tara kelty (@tarakelty) May 6, 2018
Me when I realized that gambino's dance moves distracted me from all the craziness happening in the background and that's exactly the point he's trying to make... #ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/ZlMxE2VwZV
— Claudia Gonzales (@claudiag0292) May 6, 2018
New Childish Gambino video is absolutely game breaking. My God.
— Hozier (@Hozier) May 6, 2018
Watched #ThisIsAmerica twice in a row because WOW. @donaldglover is a true modern day Renaissance man. I am never not excited by what he puts out.
— Dougy Fresh 🐝 (@CracktApple) May 6, 2018
When you wanna count off the church scene as hyperbolic but you realize that Charleston really happened.....at Bible Study.
— Shihabe masum (@shihab_masum) May 6, 2018
Also, notice how [black] bodies were left while the gun was handled with respect and care. #ThisIsAmerica
Kanye declares himself a genius drops “poopty Scoop”.
— Rome Flynn (@RomeTrumain) May 6, 2018
Donald Glover drops #ThisIsAmerica & says nothing.
I’ll let you decide who the genius is here.
Childish Gambino is what Kanye aspires to be but fails to attain. #ThisIsAmerica
— ✊🏿Black Aziz aNANsi✊🏿 (@Freeyourmindkid) May 6, 2018
if kanye was woke as he was a decade ago, THIS is the kind of stuff I’d imagine he’d be putting out today #ThisIsAmerica
— angie (@planettacoemoji) May 6, 2018
Who cares about losing Kanye? We have Childish Gambino #ThisIsAmerica
— BLACK AND PROUD (@BlkAndPr0ud) May 6, 2018
Photo: YouTube/Donald Glover